Private High Schools

Bakersfield Christian High School: 12775 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, 410-7000, www.bakersfieldchristian.com

Garces Memorial High School: 2800 Loma Linda Drive, Bakersfield,
327-2578, www.garces.org

School year calendar

Many Kern County schools follow the same calendar, but some vary. Contact your school district to verify whether the schedule below is accurate.

Many districts, including Kern’s largest — Bakersfield City School District and Kern High School District — will follow this schedule in 2008-09:

Aug. 18: First day of school

Sept. 1: Labor Day

Nov. 11: Veterans Day

Nov. 27-28: Thanksgiving break

Dec. 22-Jan. 2: Winter break

Jan. 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Feb. 9: Lincoln’s Birthday

Feb. 16: Washington’s Birthday

April 6-10: Spring break

May 25: Memorial Day

May 28: Last day of school

Kern County Superintendent of Schools

11300 17th St., Bakersfield, 636-4000, www.kern.org. Superintendent: Larry Reider (elected position). Services and programs of the office include:

Child Development Services: 1100 Ming Ave., Bakersfield, 835-7284, kcsos.kern.org/childdevelopment. Operates 16 child development sites, serving 1,200 children under the age of six throughout the county.

Community Connection for Child Care: 2000 24th St., Suite 100, Bakersfield, 861-5200, 877-861-5200, www.kernchildcare.org. Free customized referrals and information for families seeking child care. Partner in the CalWORKs welfare-to-work reform, provides assistance with child-care payments.
Community Schools: Provides instruction to students who have been expelled, are on probation or are not attending school for other reasons. Jeanne Hughes, 636-4319.

Kern Environmental Education Program: KEEP provides a five-day residential environmental education program for Kern County fifth and sixth-graders at two coastal-area campuses. Tom Anspach, 871-1883, www.campkeep.org
MOVE International: Provides training to help severely disabled adults and children gain mobility skills. MOVE was developed by Linda Bidabe, a former Kern County Superintendent of Schools special education teacher, and is used throughout the United States and overseas.
636-4561, 800-397-MOVE (6683), www.MOVE-international.org

Kern County Consortium Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA): SELPA provides special education programs and services to students from birth through age 21. 636-4801, kcsos.kern.org/specialed
Schools Legal Service: Offers legal services to school districts in Kern and other counties. 636-4830, kern.org,
www.schoolslegalservice.org

Self-Insured Schools of California: Provides workers’ compensation, health and welfare, property and liability, and other types of coverage to school districts in Kern and other counties throughout the state.
636-4710, sisc.kern.org

Transportation Services: Contracts out student transportation services to several Kern County school districts and agencies. 852-5800, kcsos.kern.org/transportation
Public schools

University of San Diego

University of San Diego

President: Mary E. Lyons

Area coordinator: Robert Sheldon

Bakersfield office: 5004 Crow Court, Bakersfield, CA 93312

587-9227

www.sandiego.edu

www.usd-online.org

Mission: “The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic institution committed to advancing academic excellence, expanding liberal and professional knowledge, creating a diverse and inclusive community and preparing leaders dedicated to ethical conduct and compassionate service.”

Bakersfield enrollment: Between 50 and 75

Programs: Professional development classes for teachers. Classes are taught at Beardsley Junior High. Independent study and online courses are also offered.

Cost: Varies by class. Check the Web site for more information.

Kern County Employment Statistics

As of March 2008, there were an estimated 314,500 employed people in Kern County and a labor force of 352,600, according to data from the California Employment Development Department.

Some 38,100 people were unemployed. The county’s unemployment rate of 10.8 percent was up from 8.8 percent in the same month the previous year. That’s compared with an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent statewide and 5.2 percent nationally. Total jobs in the county grew to 273,000 in March 2008 from 268,000 in March 2007, a difference of 5,000.

Farm jobs grew by 1,200 to 31,500 during the same year, and nonfarm jobs grew by 3,800 to 237,700.

The most job growth was in clothing and accessory stores, up 23.5 percent to 2,100. The steepest decline was at general merchandise stores, down 9.1 percent to 1,000.

For more information, visit the Web site for the state Employment Development Department at www.edd.ca.gov.

Kern County's Top Employers

Kern County public schools: 27,000

Edwards Air Force Base: 11,285

County of Kern: 9,339

Grimmway Enterprises: 6,300

China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station: 6,192

Giumarra Vineyards: 4,000

Catholic Healthcare West: 2,952

Esparza Enterprises: 2,915

Wm. Bolthouse Farms: 2,350*

Sunview Vineyards: 2,000*

Sun World: 1,600

City of Bakersfield: 1,420

Bear Creek Production Company: 1,250

Chevron USA: 1,200

San Joaquin Community Hospital: 1,100

Paramount Citrus: 1,096*

Cal State Bakersfield: 1,069

State Farm Insurance: 1,020

Community Action Partnership of Kern: 924

U.S. Borax: 900*

Kaiser Permanente: 900

Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream: 853

Aera Energy LLC: 850

Sears Logistics: 725

Frito Lay: 706

Target Distribution Center: 653*

*2006 data

Source: Californian research and Kern Economic Development Corp.

Kern County's Oil and Gas Facts

Kern County is a major oil producer. In fact, most of California’s oil production comes from Kern County — 76 percent as of 2006, to be exact.

Here are some highlights of the local oil industry:

• The industry has a long history. The Sunset portion of the Midway-Sunset oil field was discovered in 1890, followed by McKittrick in 1898, Kern River in 1899 and the Midway section of Midway-Sunset in 1900. All three fields, and dozens of others in Kern County, continue to churn out oil, helping fuel the region’s economy, as well as the cars and trucks we drive.

• The top five oil-producing fields in the state are all located in Kern County. Midway-Sunset leads the pack, followed by South Belridge, Kern River, Cymric and Elk Hills. Elk Hills is also the largest natural gas field in California.
Regional activity in 2006

• Crude oil produced: 170.2 million barrels.

• Natural gas produced: 170.7 billion cubic feet.

• Number of producing oil wells: 39,883. (That’s out of 49,879 statewide.)

• Number of producing natural gas wells: 183.

• Number of wells drilled: 1,811.
As of 2006, the top five oil producers in this area were Chevron, Aera Energy, Occidental of Elk Hills, Plains Exploration and Production and Berry Petroleum. They produce most of the oil in this area.

• Most of the oil that comes out of the ground in Kern County is characterized as heavy. It has the consistency of molasses. Steam is injected into the ground to loosen the oil and make it easier to retrieve.

• Bakersfield is home to three oil refineries: Flying J’s Big West of California refinery on Rosedale Highway, San Joaquin Refining Co. on Standard Street and Kern Oil & Refining Co. on East Panama Lane.

• The deepest onshore oil well drilled in California was drilled in 1987 in Kern County by Occidental of Elk Hills. It reached a depth of 24,426 feet.

• Taft Union High School is home to an oil and technology academy, designed to prepare students for a career in these industries.

You can learn more about the local oil industry, including its history, at the West Kern Oil Museum in Taft and “Black Gold,” a permanent oil exhibit at the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield.

Sources: California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources; California Energy Commission; Californian research.

Ambulances

For emergencies, call 911.

Care Ambulance Service
11345 Kernville Road, Kernville, 760-376-2271

Delano Ambulance Service
403 Main St., Delano, 725-3374

Hall Ambulance Service
2001 O St., Bakersfield, 327-4111

Also serves Arvin, Bear Valley, Boron, California City, Frazier Park, Lamont, Mojave, Pine Mountain Club, Rosamond, Shafter, Taft and Tehachapi. Outlying areas can call 800-924-4882.

Kern Ambulance
2324 Seventh St., Wasco, 758-3200

Liberty Ambulance
1325 W. Ridgecrest Blvd., Ridgecrest, 760-375-6565

Mercy Southwest Hospital

Mercy Hospital of Bakersfield Southwest Campus
400 Old River Road, 663-6000, www.mercybakersfield.org.

A 67-bed, acute care hospital is home to the Family Birth Center, featuring the Labor Delivery Recovery Postpartum Unit (LDRP) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Also includes medical, surgical units, lab and imaging services, a level II emergency department and an ICU. The Breast Center offers mammography services featuring Mammopad and other breast care services. A state-of-the-art minimally invasive surgical suite is one of six surgical suites at this location. Mercy Medi Center, an urgent care center, is also located at this site.

Mercy Hospital

Mercy Hospital of Bakersfield Truxtun Campus
2215 Truxtun Ave., 632-5000, www.mercybakersfield.org.

A 142-bed acute care hospital with 20 overflow beds. Includes a Level II Base-Station emergency department, comprehensive surgical, medical, telemetry and intensive care units. It also is home to six surgical suites, skilled nursing, post anesthesia care unit, ambulatory and prep units, outpatient surgery, outpatient GI laboratory, and lab and imaging services. This campus is also home to the Florence R. Wheeler Cancer Center, Bakersfield’s only hospital based cancer treatment center.

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital:
420 34th St., 327-4647, www.bakersfieldmemorial.org.

A 307-bed, tertiary acute care hospital offering a full range of services including cardiac, vascular, neurological/neurosurgical, orthopedic and general surgery, cardiology, obstetrics, pediatrics, skilled nursing, 24-hour emergency care and outpatient surgery. Operated as part of Catholic Healthcare West, www.chwhealth.org.

Employment Organizations

Career Services Center

Job center umbrella includes several agencies that provides free job help and placement. Job seekers can start at CSC to connect with other agencies including: Employer’s Training Resource, California Employment Development Department, Arbor, Bakersfield Adult School, Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso Community College, Community Connection for Child Care, Department of Rehabilitation, Kern County Department of Mental Health, Kern High School District, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation and Proteus Inc.

Main CSC One-Stop office: 1600 E. Belle Terrace, 325-4473, fax 635-2768, www.careerservicescenter.com

Employer’s Training Resource and Back to Work Center: 2001 28th St., Bakersfield, 324-9675, 336-6774, www.etronline.com. No-fee employment training services for job seekers, no-fee placement services for business and specialized services for dislocated workers.

JobSource Resource Center: 1300 18th St., 868-6575, fax 868-6506
EDD Unemployment Insurance Office: 800-300-5616, www.edd.ca.gov

Other Career Services Center locations around the county include:
• Delano: 1816 Cecil Ave., 721-5800
• Lake Isabella: 6401 Lake Isabella Blvd., 760-379-2074
• Lamont: 10215 Stobaugh St., 633-5650
• Mojave: 2300 Highway 58, 824-7800
• Ridgecrest: 1400 N. Norma St., Suite 105, 760-446-2595
• Taft: 119 N. 10th St., 763-5491
• Shafter: 113 N. Central Valley Highway, 746-8400

Kern County Department of Human Services: 100 E. California Ave., 631-6000, www.co.kern.ca.us/dhs. Jobs First Center is inside and part of the human services department: 633-7055. Assists the public looking for employment, creating resumes, making copies and using the Internet in their job search. Provides literature on how and where to obtain certificates for typing and 10 key.

Goodwill Industries of South Central California: Administrative Office/Warehouse, 4901 Stine Road, 837-0595, fax 837-0801. Referral-based. Provides training for vocational skills, retail, forklift certification, janitorial skills, office work. After training, helps attendees acquire jobs.

USAJOBS: Job employment information, www.usajobs.opm.gov

Business Organizations

Chambers of commerce

Antelope Valley: 554 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, 93534, 948-4518, www.avchambers.com

Arvin: 14258 Sunset Blvd, P.O. Box 192, Arvin, 93203, 854-2265, www.arvinchamberofcommerce.com

Boron: 26962 Twenty Mule Team Road, Boron, 93516, 760-762-5810, www.20muleteammuseum.org

Buttonwillow: 104 W. Second St., P.O. Box 251, Buttonwillow, 93206, 764-5406, www.buttonwillowchamber.com

Greater Bakersfield: 1725 Eye St., P.O. Box 1947, Bakersfield, 93303, 327-4421, www.bakersfieldchamber.org

California City: 8001 California City Blvd., Box 2008, California City, 93504, 760-373-8676

Delano: 931 High St., Delano, 93215, 725-2518, www.chamberofdelano.com

Greater Tehachapi: 209 E. Tehachapi Blvd., P.O. Box 401, Tehachapi, 93581, 822-4180, www.tehachapi.com/chamber

Kern County Black Chamber: 1222 California Ave., P.O. Box 41376, Bakersfield, 93384, 326-1529, www.kcbcc.net

Kern County Hispanic Chamber: 3232 Rio Mirada Drive, Suite B, Bakersfield, 93308, 633-5495, www.kchcc.org

Kernville: P.O. Box 397, Kernville, 93238, 760-376-2629, www.kernvillechamber.org

Kern River Valley: P.O. Box 567, Lake Isabella, 93240, 760-379-5236, 866-578-4386, www.kernrivervalley.com

Mountain communities: P.O. Box 552, Frazier Park, 93225, 245-1212, www.frazierparkinfo.com

North of the River: P.O. Box 5551, Bakersfield, 93388, 871-4555

Taft District: 400 Kern St., Taft, 93263, 765-2165, www.taftchamber.com

Wasco: P.O. Box 783, Wasco, 93280, 758-2746

Other business groups

BNI (Business Network International): Five groups meet weekly in Bakersfield with the main purpose of networking their businesses. Meeting locations and times vary. Call Randy Borden, the area’s BNI executive director, at 805-461-1892 or assistant director Alonna Mereno at 303-5388. www.bni.com

Downtown Business and Property Owners Association: 2000 K St., Suite 120, Bakersfield, 93301, 325-5892, www.bakersfielddba.net

Executives’ Association of Kern County Inc.: 1001 Mohawk, Suite 16, Bakersfield, 93309, 634-0641, www.eakc.com. Business support and networking group.

Greater Bakersfield Convention and Visitors Bureau: 515 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield, 93301, 325-5051, www.bakersfieldcvb.us

Kern Economic Development Corp.: 2700 M St., Suite 200, Bakersfield, 93301, 862-5150, www.kedc.com

Kern County Bar Association: 1675 Chester Ave., Suite 220, Bakersfield, 93301, 334-4700, www.kernbar.org

Pro 31 Network: www.pro31network.com. Meets monthly for lunch for members to network their businesses and offer spiritual encouragement. Any woman is welcome regardless of religion.

Ridgecrest Area Convention and Visitors Bureau/Ridgecrest Film Commission: 139 Balsam St., Ridgecrest, 93555, 800-847-4830, 760-375-8202, www.visitdeserts.com, www.filmdeserts.com

Small Business Administration: Fresno district office, 2719 N. Air Fresno Drive, Suite 200, Fresno 93727, 559-487-5791, www.sba.gov

Weill Institute Small Business Development Center of Bakersfield College: 2100 Chester Ave., first floor, Bakersfield, 395-4126, www.weill-sbdc.com. Center provides free advice to people who own or are interested in starting a small business, as well as business workshops and courses.

U.S. Department of Commerce: Located within the Small Business Development Center, 2100 Chester Ave. Suite 166, 637-0136.

Military Bases

Edwards Air Force Base

Edwards Air Force Base, possibly more famous than Kern County, or even Bakersfield, is much more than an air base. It boasts a bowling alley, fast-food restaurants, ice cream shops and several dining, recreation and entertainment amenities.

Edwards might be ideal for military personnel who want their families to live with them, but housing on the base is undergoing a continuous improvement plan with demolition and construction expected to continue into 2009. Consequently, wait lists might be longer than normal.

Some military personnel and all but one civilian employee at Edwards live off-base. They can choose from several surrounding communities, including Rosamond, Lancaster, Palmdale, California City and Tehachapi.

The base is 470 square miles and employs around 12,800 people. The on-base population of 2,038 accounts for about 60 percent of the military personnel.

The land the base occupies was once populated by pioneer homesteaders. In 1933, the area was used as a bombing range and later as a bomber training base during World War II, according to the Edwards Web site.

In December 1949, the base was named for Capt. Glen W. Edwards, who was killed a year earlier in a crash of the Northrop YB-49.

Edwards Air Force Base has since been used to develop flight technology and has been the birthplace of more innovations in flight than any other place on Earth, according to the Web site. Edwards is the second largest Air Force base in the United States.

Law enforcement: On-base security, 95th Security Forces Squadron, 277-3340.

Fire protection: Edwards AFB fire department, multiple stations: 277-3340.

Attractions

• Air show: Will resume in 2009 depending on runway construction.

• Tours: Group tours of 15 or more are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Groups should register at least one month in advance. Tours include the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum and NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center. General public tours are also available on the first and third Friday of each month. To register for either tour, call Public Affairs at 277-3510 or schedule one online by selecting “Request a Tour” at http://www.edwards.af. mil/main/contactus.asp.

• Flight Test Center Museum: 405 S. Rosamond Blvd., 277-8050. Features exhibits, displays and videos depicting the history of Edwards, including aircraft displays and aviation paraphernalia. Registration required.

• Space shuttle landings: Edwards continues to be an alternate emergency landing site for space shuttle flights. There is seldom a chance for public viewing as the decision to land at Edwards is usually made 90 minutes before the estimated landing time.

China Lake

In 1943, Dr. Charles C. Lauritsen of the California Institute of Technology and Navy Cmdr. Jack Renard spotted a small landing strip near what is now Inyokern.

The institute was developing rocket technology for the Navy, which also needed a new testing ground for weapons development. The airstrip, in the middle of the vast Mojave Desert, was ideal for testing rockets and other weapons.

On Nov. 8, 1943, the Naval Ordnance Test Station at China Lake was established.
What started as a dusty landing strip has since grown to encompass the 1.1 million acres that now make up the base at China Lake.

Since those early days, the base has undergone several name changes and chain-of-command realignment. In 1967, it was renamed the Naval Weapons Center China Lake.

In 1992, it became the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, falling under the umbrella of the weapons division of the Naval Air Systems Command. In 2003, the base broke away and fell in line under the Navy Region Southwest.
The base in northeastern Kern County employs more than 4,400 civilian employees and about 700 military personnel.

Some 1,500 contractors also work at the base, which is adjacent to the city of Ridgecrest.

In March 2008, the Navy approved relocating an additional 1,000 armament experts from California, Indiana, Maryland and Virginia to China Lake by Sept. 15, 2011.

For more than six decades, China Lake projects have included work on the Sidewinder air-to-air missile, the Shrike anti-radiation missile, the Tomahawk cruise missile and the Joint Direct Attack Munitions weapon or “smart bomb.”

The Digital Precision Strike Suite provides strike aircraft with ground coordinates, and the Tactical Dissemination Module links command centers with strike aircraft.
Some scientific breakthroughs at China Lake have been incorporated into everyday life. The electro-mechanical shuttered video camera provides non-smear stop-action images of weapons tests. This technology was subsequently used in stop-action sports broadcasting.

The technology that makes glow sticks, a popular safety light each Halloween, was developed at China Lake to help rescuers locate downed pilots at night.

The research and development at the base is wide-ranging, from basic research in physics and chemistry to applied projects in energetic materials, embedded computers, specialized semiconductor materials and lasers and optics.

The base museum, on Blandy Avenue, presents the history of weapons developed at China Lake. The visitor center is at Highway 178 and China Lake Blvd.

For more information, call the visitor center at 760-939-3160, the public affairs office at 760-939-1683, or visit www.nawcwd.navy.mil.

Hospitals in Bakersfield and Kern County

Here is your guide to hospitals in Bakersfield and the greater Kern County area:

Bakersfield

Bakersfield Heart Hospital: 3001 Sillect Ave., 316-6000, www.bakersfieldhearthospital.com.

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital: 420 34th St., 327-4647, www.bakersfieldmemorial.org.

Florence R. Wheeler Cancer Center: 2215 Truxtun Ave., 632-5700.

Good Samaritan Hospital: 901 Olive Drive, 215-7500.

HealthSouth Bakersfield Rehabilitation Hospital: 5001 Commerce Drive, 323-5500, www.healthsouthbakersfield.com.

Kern Medical Center: 1830 Flower St., 326-2000, www.kernmedicalcenter.com.

Satellite clinic: Sagebrush Medical Plaza, 1111 Columbus St., 326-6500.

Mercy Hospital of Bakersfield Truxtun Campus: 2215 Truxtun Ave., 632-5000, www.mercybakersfield.org.

Mercy Hospital of Bakersfield Southwest Campus: 400 Old River Road, 663-6000, www.mercybakersfield.org.

San Joaquin Community Hospital: 2615 Chester Ave., 395-3000, www.sjch.us.

Outlying areas

Delano Regional Medical Center: 1401 Garces Highway, Delano, 725-4800, www.drmc.com.

Kern Valley Healthcare District: 6412 Laurel Ave., Mountain Mesa, 760-379-2681, www.kvhd.org.

Ridgecrest Regional Hospital: 1081 N. China Lake Blvd., Ridgecrest, 760-446-3551, www.rrh.org.

Tehachapi Hospital: 115 West E St., Tehachapi, 822-3241, www.tvhd.org.

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